


Holiest

by sordes



Series: The Temple Harlot [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, M/M, Oral Sex, Porn with Feelings, Semi-Public Sex, Sword and sandal, plums
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 03:39:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13627842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sordes/pseuds/sordes
Summary: “Your claims of virility are quite outlandish. Shall we go someplace more private? To investigate further?”Gilgamesh placed the half-eaten plum and knife onto the golden tray. “Are you calling me a liar?” Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at his lips.“On the contrary,” Ardyn mused, “I should merely like to investigate your claims firsthand.”The one where Ardyn is a wanton young man and Gilgamesh is happy to indulge him. Also plums.





	Holiest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AccursedSpatula](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AccursedSpatula/gifts).



> "Why do you think Ardyn is undeserving of love?" I ask as I make it my mission to Danielle Steel the shit out of his tag.

The use of a litter was usually reserved for parades or religious holidays. Times when it was expected that Ardyn was not to walk amongst the crowd of average citizens, that he was to be held above them, if only slightly. The litter itself was tastefully carved of a sturdy wood and embellished with gold leaf—not so much that it was vulgar, considering its use in religious ceremony—but as it was to be carried by four servants, it had to be built for service over style, its weight and portability far more important than its looks.

Though there was no holiday or parade, Ardyn had ordered his servants to bring the litter out to the main garden of the Lucis estate. The weather was fair, not a cloud in the deep blue sky—normally perfect weather in which to enjoy a stroll around the gardens or through the city. Though Ardyn still wished to enjoy the day, he was weary from the past fortnight. While not an epidemic or anything so dramatic, there had been a flare up of that fearsome and deadly plague in the city and, knowing just how quickly the strange disease could spread, Ardyn devoted himself fully to healing the afflicted before the situation could worsen.

He had been successful, with only a few of the most susceptible falling claim to the horrific disease, and now, with no impending threat of sickness, set himself to recovering from his exhaustion. Though he had been blessed by the Gods with the magical capabilities to rid the ailing of their disease, the practice was painful and arduous, yet he would never refuse a single patient.

Hence the litter today.

The fresh air would do him good, as opposed to lying about in his chambers all day, and Ardyn was reassured by this as he stepped into the sunny gardens. He had thrown on one of his simpler silk robes, the soft fabric wrapped loosely around his slender form, and had barely taken a comb through his unruly red locks. As he rounded the bend, past a cluster of fig trees, however, Ardyn wished he had taken more time to mend his appearance, as his younger brother’s sworn Shield and his own secret paramour, Gilgamesh, was reclining on the litter.

Ardyn stopped dead in his tracks, considered if he should back up and return to his quarters to make himself a tad more presentable, but it was too late. Gilgamesh looked up from the ripe plum he was idly nibbling at and smiled at Ardyn from across the way. Ardyn sighed, there was no way he could extricate himself from this now, and raised his chin slightly as he moved to the litter.

“My lord,” Gilgamesh said as he got to his feet. He was dressed in a coarse wool tunic, the hem ending just shy of his knees. His arms were bare, the hint of his intricate tattoo playing across his muscular biceps, and his long dark hair spilled over his shoulders. He bowed his head slightly to Ardyn as he approached and Ardyn waved his hand dismissively. “Going somewhere?”

Ardyn nodded. “A walk.”

“Not much of a walk if you’re lounging about,” Gilgamesh laughed to himself, but stepped aside for Ardyn to sit on the edge of the litter. Ardyn sunk down slightly into the plush cushions and let out a soft sigh. The short walk from his quarters to the garden hadn’t winded him exactly, but it was good to sit again. Seems he had used more of his strength than he had originally thought.

Gilgamesh seemed to notice this, too, and offered his hand as Ardyn raised his legs onto the litter and reclined. Though the litter was built to be as lightweight as possible it still had its comforts—the bed itself was plush, stuffed with a combination of goose feathers and down, and there were a number of cushions and pillows for one to arrange freely. The litter had four posts, one at each corner, and thick curtains ran from post to post to give the rider privacy if desired.

“I trust you’re feeling improved,” Gilgamesh said softly as he sat down on the edge of the litter and turned the plum about in his hand.

“Much improved,” Ardyn replied. “I apologize for the state of my appearance. Had I known you were on the grounds today, I would have cleaned myself up.”

Gilgamesh shook his head ‘no.’ “You are radiant as ever.”

Ardyn breathed in sharply. Though their romance had been carrying on for months now, any public acknowledgement of it still sent Ardyn in a panicked tizzy. He couldn’t comprehend why Gilgamesh didn’t care if they were discovered, why he even seemed to delight in pushing their boundaries, bringing them close to disaster a few times before. But perhaps because Ardyn was already so worn down, he let the comment slide.

_Let him dote on you if he pleases. You deserve some sweetness after all you’ve given._

“Perhaps you could cut me some fruit?” Ardyn asked. There was a golden tray mounded with plums on the other side of the litter. “I think it would do me some good.”

“Of course.” Gilgamesh set down his nibbled plum and picked up a ripe specimen from the tray. Its flesh was a deep purple and it looked positively sumptuous as Gilgamesh cut into it with a small knife, its sweet aroma filling Ardyn’s nose. Gilgamesh expertly sliced into the plum and twisted the two halves apart, then flicked the pit out with the knife and onto the tray. He then guided the knife down into the soft flesh of the plum and against his thumb. “Were you really going to eat all of these on your own?”

“Of course not,” Ardyn laughed softly. “We received a great deal of offerings and tokens of thanks in the past few days. There’s so much of it the kitchen staff hardly knows what to do with it all.”

“A plum for each life saved.”

“We weren’t _only_ gifted plums, Gilgamesh.”

Gilgamesh smiled at this. He brought a slice of plum to Ardyn’s mouth, and after glancing furtively around for any prying eyes, Ardyn accepted it, the sweet flesh soft in his mouth.

“Good boy.” Gilgamesh smiled to himself and cut another slice then popped it into his mouth. A dribble of juice clung to his lower lip and Ardyn reached for him, wiping it away with his finger.

“Did no one teach you any table manners in that dreadful country my brother plucked you out from?”

Gilgamesh kept his eyes trained on Ardyn’s finger as he brought it to his lips and licked it clean. “Your brother didn’t pick me for my etiquette, I’m afraid.”

“Yes, Gilgamesh—chosen for his swordsmanship and his tendency to defy death,” Ardyn smiled.

“That’s not all.”

Ardyn hummed at the comment. Gilgamesh passed the plum to his right hand and brought the left, his fingers covered in the sweet, sticky juice to Ardyn’s face. He rubbed his thumb over Ardyn’s lower lip, and though Ardyn startled at the sudden intimacy, he let Gilgamesh do as he pleased. “They say a warrior’s virility is truly what makes him unkillable on the battlefield.” Ardyn felt his face grow hot but found himself powerless to look away from Gilgamesh, especially as he slipped his sweet tasting thumb past his lips and into his mouth. “Lick it clean,” he said, his voice a low rumble.

Ardyn locked eyes with Gilgamesh, mustering the most defiant look he could, but obeyed, swirling his tongue over Gilgamesh’s tongue. It tasted sweet of plums, but the salt of Gilgamesh’s skin both undercut and enhanced it. Gilgamesh smiled when he pulled his hand back, sufficiently pleased with Ardyn’s handiwork, and cleaned the rest of his digits with few slow licks of his own.

“Your claims of virility are quite outlandish. Shall we go someplace more private? To investigate further?”

Gilgamesh placed the half-eaten plum and knife onto the golden tray. “Are you calling me a liar?” Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at his lips.

“On the contrary,” Ardyn mused, “I should merely like to investigate your claims firsthand.”

“Ah, but the weather is so fine today. It would be a shame to lock ourselves up someplace dark and cramped,” Gilgamesh countered.

Ardyn couldn’t help but laugh at the sheer implausibility, nay foolishness, of the idea. “There are more prying eyes here than you would think, my fair warrior. And besides, the servants will be around directly for the afternoon walk.”

Gilgamesh shrugged. “A pity. I was so eager to offer my services to prove myself worthy of the talk, but…” Ardyn’s eyes narrowed as Gilgamesh’s words trailed off. He knew Gilgamesh loved to play this game, to make Ardyn say plainly how much he desired him, as if it weren’t obvious from the velvety tones Ardyn spoke in and the way he indulged his precociousness. “If my lord is uninterested, then there is nothing that can be done.”

Gilgamesh pushed himself up and off of the litter. He moved to stand at Ardyn’s feet but didn’t walk too far, a teasing glint in his eye. Amused, Ardyn perched himself up on his forearms and looked down at Gilgamesh, and by the Six did he want him. This slab of a man, all muscle and rugged masculinity—and now, all that raw, sexual energy was directed squarely at him. All Ardyn needed to do was acquiesce to Gilgamesh’s game, to reach out and take what he desired.

“There is greater threat of detection, and therefore interruption, here,” Ardyn reasoned.

“So my lord does not deny he seeks to put merit to the rumors.”

Ardyn slowly rolled an ankle. “He does not.”

Eyes glinting in the wash of sunlight, Gilgamesh circled around the litter like a wildcat encircling its prey. “Then we’ll just have to be careful, won’t we?” His lips were smiling but all at once his eyes were fierce. He pulled free the ties on each of the four poles around the litter, letting the curtains fall free and enclosing Ardyn in darkness.

Briefly Ardyn was alone in the litter, the curtains so thick that they cut off the typical sounds from the garden—the chirping birds, the gentle breeze blowing through the trees. He felt stifled in the dark, the heat cloying on his skin and the silence deep and nearly unbearable, and all because he knew Gilgamesh was still stalking around him outside. Ardyn waited for his entrance, the anticipation and desire building inside of him with each breath.

After what felt like an agonizingly long time, the curtains at Ardyn’s feet rustled and Gilgamesh pulled them open from the outside. Arms spread like wings, his short tunic drawn up slightly on his muscular thighs, Gilgamesh stared down at Ardyn, almost predatorily. Ardyn exhaled deeply at the sight and at the realization that he was already hard, the teasing from before and the mere suggestion of what was to come enough to coax his cock into full arousal. Gilgamesh was a dangerous man, indeed.

Gilgamesh knelt onto the litter and slid his hands up Ardyn’s legs from ankle to calf, pushing his robes up to expose his creamy skin. Ardyn moaned softly at the soft caress, his breath hitching as Gilgamesh gave the meat of his calves a firm squeeze. Gilgamesh crawled forward as his hands moved further up Ardyn’s legs to his thighs, roughly shoving his robes up and out of the way. The curtains fell closed behind Gilgamesh, concealing them completely from the outside. Ardyn’s heart was hammering in his ears from the isolation of their tight quarters, the sweet smell of plums, and the feeling of Gilgamesh’s solid hands on him.

Gilgamesh’s eyes were intense even in the dimness, his gaze enough to keep Ardyn in place and still. His palms were hot and heavy, his grazing touches left red marks on Ardn’s skin that quickly dissipated when his calloused fingers moved on to a new spot. How Ardyn wished those marks would stay—it seemed the only places Gilgamesh had any interest in marking were too visible for Ardyn’s liking.

Gilgamesh shoved Ardyn’s thighs apart, making room for him to kneel between them. Ardyn gasped at the suddenness of it all and the sensation of Gilgamesh raking his fingernails down his inner thighs, trailing the sweet, sticky plum nectar across his unblemished skin. His robes were hiked up to his hips, his cock trapped within the folds. Ardyn couldn’t help the needy whine as one of Gilgamesh’s hands ghosted over his cock, but grunted in frustration when he retracted his hand.

“Eager.” Gilgamesh chuckled as he crawled closer between Ardyn’s legs, then lowered himself on top of him so their chests were pressed together. Their lips met easily, the kiss sweet as the plum they had shared. Ardyn’s hands found Gilgamesh’s cheek and jaw and he stroked his warrior’s face lovingly, opening his mouth to him. Ardyn could feel Gilgamesh smile against his lips before he returned the gesture, parting his lips and the kiss deepened.

Though they were still in the center of the very public gardens, any fear of detection was forgotten. All that mattered was Gilgamesh’s insistent mouth on his, his burning touch roving up and down his sides, and the promise of Gilgamesh’s hard cock pressing against his own.

Their mouths parted and Ardyn was left breathless, eyes trained on the way Gilgamesh’s tongue slipped between his lips and slid across his lower lip. “Are you going to ravish me?” Ardyn asked in a need laced whisper, the teasing gone from his voice now.

Gilgamesh dipped in and raked his teeth across Ardyn’s neck. Ardyn tipped his head back, a low moan escaping his parted lips, and Gilgamesh dragged his teeth over his Adam’s apple, then back again with his tongue. “The savage warrior, back home from conquest. Drunk on blood and half-crazed with lust.” Gilgamesh’s breath was hot, too hot, on Ardyn’s skin. He nipped Ardyn’s neck, too hard at first, then lessened the pressure, arresting a gasp from Ardyn’s throat. Gilgamesh licked the bite-marked area to soothe it, then pulled back, refocusing his fiery gaze on Ardyn’s face. “Is that the fantasy you desire?”

Gilgamesh ground his hips into Ardyn’s roughly before Ardyn could respond. Ardyn’s hands flung for the litter’s plush cushioning and gripped it for purchase. The friction was undeniably heavenly, and _bless the Six_ if it wasn’t absolutely wonderful to feel powerless beneath Gilgamesh. The weight of his duty, his public face, set aside for a time. There was only here and now, Ardyn completely at the mercy of this savage warrior—his savage warrior—and the intoxicatingly sweet smell of plums.

But. Ardyn didn’t want that fantasy now, as tempting as it was. He didn’t think he had the fortitude for such passion after everything, so he shook his head ‘no.’ “Be gentle with me, lavish your affection upon me, and by the Six,” Arydn ordered, “do it slow and make me beg.”

Gilgamesh smiled then leaned in and pressed his lips to Ardyn’s in a quick kiss. His sucked on Ardyn’s bottom lip briefly and released it as he pulled back. “Your wish is my command.”

Ardyn settled back against the pillows and cushions as Gilgamesh pushed himself up with his hands. Gilgamesh adorned Ardyn’s jaw and neck with a number of kisses, each gentler and more attentive than the last, completely different from his previous marks of affection. Still, Ardyn could feel the urgency behind each one, the want. Gilgamesh needed this as badly as he did.

Ardyn sighed as Gilgamesh rubbed his hands up and down his clothed chest, and swore he could feel each callous on Gilgamesh’s palms despite the fine silk separating his chest from them. Gilgamesh’s hands found his thighs once more and Ardyn nearly startled at the skin on skin contact. True to his word, though, Gilgamesh only gave him the softest of caresses, the ghosting touches sending a flurry of shivers up and down Ardyn’s spine. Ardyn arched his back into the feeling, his head glued to the cushions, eyes squeezed shut.

Gilgamesh scooted back a few inches, giving him enough room to lean down between Ardyn’s creamy thighs. Soon enough, Ardyn regretted his orders for Gilgamesh to go slow.

There was just his breath on his tender skin, soft and untouched by the sun’s harsh rays. Gilgamesh just exhaled, slowly and deliberately, on his inner thighs, causing Ardyn’s cock to twitch beneath his robes with each little hot jolt. Just as Ardyn was about to rescind his order, to demand that Gilgamesh take care of the ‘little’ problem he was responsible for and fast, Gilgamesh’s fingertips made contact once more.

Gilgamesh traced his fingertips in lazy circles on Ardyn’s inner thighs, and Ardyn gasped at the ticklish sensation. To Ardyn’s joy, Gilgamesh’s lips followed quickly behind, and he laved those same soft kisses across his milky skin. Ardyn couldn’t help but writhe under Gilgamesh’s affection, a part of him shocked that Gilgamesh was capable of such tenderness. Finally, Gilgamesh pushed his robes up to his waist and exposed his dripping cock. Gilgamesh licked his lips and Ardyn swallowed hard at the sight.

“Such excitement from such sweetness,” Gilgamesh murmured, his eyes dragging up from Ardyn’s cock to his chest and finally meeting Ardyn’s gaze.

“As I recall, I am not the only one to be so affected,” Ardyn countered as he cupped Gilgamesh’s face.

Gilgamesh nuzzled his cheek into Ardyn’s hand. “I’ve been hard for you since you departed to heal the sick and worked yourself to the bone for their sake. The promise of you, laid out on your back, legs spread, waiting for me on upon your return home was thoroughly titillating and kept me warm through many a cold night alone.”

Ardyn’s face flashed hot at the notion. His tongue felt thick and ungainly in his mouth and he cleared his throat to try and right things. “The ‘promise’? A tad presumptuous, wouldn’t you agree?”

Gilgamesh chuckled. “But look where we are now, my lord.”

He had Ardyn there.

Ardyn swallowed. “And in this fantasy of yours, what were you going to do once you returned and found me willing and wanton?”

Gilgamesh turned his head and planted a kiss in the center of Ardyn’s palm. “I would have liked to have fucked you until neither of us could walk straight, if I’m to be honest. But this,” he kissed Ardyn’s palm once more, his intense gaze finding Ardyn’s face, “I am amenable to this, too.”

“No one said _that_ was off the table,” Ardyn said, his voice breathy and soft. He wanted Gilgamesh more than he had wanted anything in his life, and felt all at once that he would be torn asunder by his own lust if nothing was done to sate it.

Without another word, Gilgamesh raked a hand down Ardyn’s inner thigh and reached under his bent knee for the tray of plums, all but forgotten about until now. Ardyn had a question on his lips, but withheld it, eyes trained on Gilgamesh’s quick fingers. Gilgamesh took the half eaten plum into his hand, its smooth outer flesh against his palm and the sweet, juicy flesh facing outward. Gently, he traced the sweet fruit up Ardyn’s inner leg from knee to just shy of his groin. Ardyn moaned softly at the feeling, it catching in his throat as Gilgamesh leaned in and licked a fat strip up his leg over the sweet nectar.

“In my homeland,” Gilgamesh murmured as he traced the fruit down Ardyn’s other thigh, “the soil is too poor to cultivate something this sweet.” Ardyn’s breath hitched as Gilgamesh licked up the sweetness once more, nipping the soft meat of his inner thigh when he reached the end of the trail. “Something like this is priceless.”

Ardyn could only watch in rapt attention as Gilgamesh brought the plum to his groin. “Are you referring to the fruit, or me?” Ardyn whispered.

Gilgamesh cocked an eyebrow in answer as he lowered the plum to this balls, drawn in tight and close to his body, and dragged it slowly up the underside of his cock, pulling it away just before reaching the tip. Ardyn’s mouth hung open, completely suggestible to Gilgamesh’s will like some vestal virgin, drunk on her first real cup of ceremonial wine.

Ardyn knew what was coming next, but even so could do nothing to stifle the moan. Gilgamesh laved his tongue over Ardyn’s balls then licked a fat stripe up the underside of his cock, but frustratingly, pulled his tongue away from the sensitive tip, already wet with the guilty sheen of Ardyn’s precome.

Ardyn’s heart was hammering in his ears, and everything in the enclosed litter suddenly felt and smelled a hundredfold more intense than it had seconds ago. The ripe fruit, his own emissions, Gilgamesh’s musk. Gilgamesh’s hands were scorching hot on his thighs and his tongue—it was like Ardyn was being branded, marked for life in the burning flames of their passion. He took a few deep breaths to re-center himself, he had no problem with giving into the sensory, to losing himself in Gilgamesh, but not so soon. Ardyn swallowed, tried to keep his voice steady. “Does my taste offend you?”

Gilgamesh tossed the half-eaten plum over his shoulder and it fell off the edge of the litter to the ground outside. “Nothing tastes as sweet as you, my lord,” he said matter-of-factly, as one would say the sky is blue and the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. He then lowered his mouth to the tip of Ardyn’s cock, parted his lips around it, and guided Ardyn’s shaft into his mouth in one smooth motion.

Ardyn arched his back into the hot wetness of Gilgamesh’s mouth, his red hair spilling over the cushions. Gilgamesh slid his hands over Ardyn’s chest and held him still with his arms, Ardyn writing beneath him. Gilgamesh bobbed his head lightly and Ardyn could feel his tongue pressed flat against the underside of his cock, its slight roughness making Ardyn grip whatever cushion he could find for purchase.

Gilgamesh drew his head back, releasing Ardyn’s cock with a wet _plop_ and let it fall back against Ardyn’s stomach. He quickly leaned forward as Ardyn whimpered, dragging his tongue up the side of Ardyn’s cock and lavished the tip with a number of heady licks. Gilgamesh’s breath was hot against Ardyn’s cock, and each lick made it twitch and jump between them. Gilgamesh then wrapped his lips around the tip once more and took it into his mouth, hollowed his cheeks, and sucked.

Ardyn gripped the back the back of Gilgamesh’s head, twined his fingers in his long dark hair and tugged. Gilgamesh moaned at the tightness on his scalp into Ardyn’s cock, and Ardyn gasped in return. Ardyn’s mouth hung open as he watched Gilgamesh suck and felt Gilgamesh’s tongue swirl around his sensitive skin. Gilgamesh held his gaze, and though it was Ardyn’s cock firmly lodged in his mouth, everything about his demeanor was challenging. Eventually the sight and sensation were too much, and Ardyn tossed his head back into the cushions, releasing Gilgamesh’s skull, and he squeezed his eyes shut, completely at Gilgamesh’s mercy.

For a short while there was just the wet suction of Gilgamesh’s mouth, his head bobbing up and down Ardyn’s cock, as his heavy arms holding Ardyn in place. Ardyn felt that he was close, and he cracked his now dry lips open to warn Gilgamesh, only—

Suddenly, the litter jostled and shook, no doubt the servants had arrived to collect the Ardyn and proceed on the afternoon walk. Panic and fear flashed across Ardyn’s face, this was no longer a game, this was a very real threat to his reputation, his very life. Ardyn made to wrench open the curtain, to stop the servants from carting them off into the public square, but Gilgamesh stayed his hand, his lips still wrapped around Ardyn’s cock. Something almost dangerous flashed in his amber eyes, a warning. _Don’t make a scene._

Ardyn knew Gilgamesh cared little for other’s opinions of him, getting caught in the act with another man meant nothing to him. As such, Ardyn knew that Gilgamesh wasn’t stopping him to prevent their detection, but rather to prevent their tryst from having a premature ending. Under different circumstances, Ardyn might have scorned him, forced him to stop. They had had close calls in the past, and certainly there had been nights Ardyn had forced Gilgamesh to leave his bed. But now...

Ardyn’s arm went limp and Gilgamesh released it, a satisfied rumble sounding in his throat. Ardyn’s breath hitched at the vibration and he quickly covered his mouth with his hand. As he stared down at Gilgamesh through lidded eyes, he was terrified at the prospect of being discovered, and even more terrified at the little voice inside telling him not to care. _You are a prominent man of Lucis, you can do what you please, love whoever you please._

Ardyn swallowed those thoughts as he swallowed a deep moan, Gilgamesh bringing him over the edge, litter swaying side to side slightly as the servants maneuvered it across the stone path. Gilgamesh forced his head down deeper as Ardyn spilled himself, taking all of him into his mouth and Ardyn couldn’t help but shiver at the feel of Gilgamesh swallowing his seed. His thighs radiated heat and pleasure, and it seemed like it was all Gilgamesh could do to hold him down and keep him from kicking wildly at the curtains. Ardyn arched his back as he rode out the sensation, sweat dripping between his shoulder blades and at the backs of his knees. The feeling was everything Ardyn had missed during their time apart; nothing he could do himself could bring such a powerful feeling over him. It felt as if he were caught in a strong riverbed current, only his foot was pinned by a number of algae covered boulders—Ardyn was simultaneously held in place, yet the coursing sensation flowed all around him, the combination overwhelming to the point that his throat felt tight and his chest hurt to the point of bursting.  

When his orgasm passed and Ardyn calmed and relaxed once more. Gilgamesh pulled his head back, releasing Ardyn’s softening cock, delicate strands of saliva and come connecting his lips to Ardyn’s length until they snapped. The sight of Gilgamesh hunched between his thighs, lips red and shiny, his eyes so black with lust they felt like they belonged to a wild animal excited something in Ardyn despite his release. Dimly, Ardyn wondered if this was what many of Gilgamesh’s other partners had experienced before he seized them, or if he only reserved this crazed, lustful look for him. Perhaps he ought to ask him sometime, when they were free from the immediate threat of discovery. Ardyn nestled his head back into the cushions, the picture of comfort and satisfaction. He dragged his hands up slowly above his head, lying completely prone. He need only bare his throat to complete the offering to his lover. “Take me.”

All at once it felt as if the coursing water that had previously flowed around Ardyn’s body had evaporated and settled into a dense mist between them. The air felt positively laden with sex and heat. All of Ardyn’s senses felt simultaneously dulled and sharpened, as if his chest was rising and falling with each breath in slow motion, yet he could detect every subtle movement in Gilgamesh’s eyes, his hands on his knees, the pulsating vein on his neck. Ardyn braced himself—he could intuit that Gilgamesh was mere seconds away from pouncing, from realizing his fantasy and losing himself in Ardyn’s wanton heat.

Ardyn sucked in a sharp breath through his parted lips just as the litter jostled to the right, then corrected itself, Ardyn’s end of the litter angled slightly higher than Gilgamesh’s. The litter bumped with each step the servants took, maneuvering a set of stairs, Ardyn realized. Ardyn steadied himself with both hands pressed into the cushions and heard a muffled, “Apologies, my lord,” from one of the servants carting them around.

Ardyn laughed softly as he looked back to Gilgamesh, the levity of the situation causing the sensual haze between them to dissipate in an instant. Gilgamesh brought himself into a sitting position, folding his legs, and grinned back at Ardyn, the two sharing the ridiculousness of the moment wordlessly.

“You can still ravish me,” Ardyn said softly, nudging Gilgamesh’s bent knee with his shin.

“I was intending on it.” Gilgamesh took Ardyn’s foot into his hands and placed it in his lap. He rubbed Ardyn’s sole and pressed his thumbs firmly into it, eliciting a sigh from Ardyn. “However, I seem to recall your previous orders, my lord. Be gentle and make you beg, I believe.”

Ardyn pouted. “You can’t be serious.”

“What different would I be from any common rogue if I were not a man of my word?”

Despite his rugged looks and coarse demeanor, Gilgamesh certainly enjoyed these mind games, Ardyn found. It had to be the underlying reason as to how Gilgamesh had lived through so many battles and won so many victories—the combination of his impressive physicality with a sharp, curious mind.

Ardyn hummed to himself contemplating Gilgamesh’s challenge. While the litter knocking about did lighten the mood some, Ardyn still burned for Gilgamesh. Ardyn feared discovery, naturally, but Gilgamesh had this infuriating quality to him that seemed to block out that logical side of his brain and force him to give in to the here and now.

“An order is an order,” Ardyn mused as he pulled his foot from Gilgamesh’s hands and brought himself up on his knees. He wobbled slightly as the litter shifted, but braced himself on the cushions and avoided toppling out and into the street. Ardyn smiled at the way Gilgamesh leaned forward to grab him, should he have actually lost his balance.

“Perhaps you should lie down, to avoid any unnecessary complications,” Gilgamesh said, but Ardyn shook his head ‘no.’

“I’ve been lying around on my backside long enough,” Ardyn said as his hands found Gilgamesh’s broad shoulders. “Besides,” Ardyn lowered himself into Gilgamesh’s lap and hummed at the feel of Gilgamesh’s hard cock against his stomach, “you have to admit things are a tad more exciting this way.”

Gilgamesh placed his hands on Ardyn’s thighs, his robes still hiked up though concealing his cock, the fine silk pooled between them. Ardyn dragged his hands down Gilgamesh’s chest over the coarse cotton of his tunic.

Gilgamesh raked his hands up Ardyn’s thighs and down over the globes of his ass, giving them a squeeze. Ardyn, meanwhile, pushed the tunic out of the way, finally exposing Gilgamesh’s cock. He was staggeringly hard, the glans already smeared with the sheen of precome, and it was all Ardyn could do but sigh lovingly at the sight, as Gilgamesh’s cock was the picture of adoration and devotion to himself. Though Gilgamesh was the picture of masculinity, all hard muscle, sculpted lines, a veritable god masquerading in the guise of a mortal, _this_ made Ardyn feel supreme. He knew no matter how badly he wanted Gilgamesh in this moment, Gilgamesh wanted him more, despite the mind games and the teasing. The urgent, insistent way Gilgamesh groped his ass only fueled this knowledge, and Ardyn couldn’t help the smug smile that found its way across his lips.

“Does this please my lord?” Gilgamesh asked as a calloused finger slipped between his buttocks and found the tight coil of muscle around his asshole. Ardyn inhaled sharply at the touch, feeling his own cock begin to stir with desire again.

Ardyn raised himself slightly on his knees and widened his stance around Gilgamesh’s thighs, giving Gilgamesh greater access to his ass. Ardyn had no qualms about leaning into the game now. He wrapped a hand around Gilgamesh’s cock and found it scorching hot, every glorious inch of it pulsating with need.  

“More,” Ardyn hissed as Gilgamesh swirled the pad of his finger over his hole. “Show me how much you want me.”

Something glinted in Gilgamesh’s amber eyes but instead of just devouring him, of letting loose one ounce of that pent up unhinged lust inside, Gilgamesh brought his lips to Ardyn’s jaw and pressed a firm, yet controlled, kiss there. Ardyn frowned slightly, but as Gilgamesh pressed devotions across his jaw and down his neck with his lips, the corners of Ardyn’s mouth curled into a contented smile. Ardyn dragged his hand slowly up and down the hard length of Gilgamesh’s cock as a reward.

Gilgamesh applied a modicum of pressure against Ardyn’s hole, a satisfied grumble in his throat. Ardyn sighed at the feel and stroked Gilgamesh’s cock faster, encouraging him to speed up his advances. Gilgamesh’s cock thrummed in Ardyn’s grip, alive and harder than Ardyn could remember it ever feeling before.

Ardyn’s mouth found Gilgamesh’s and let out a raspy gasp into it at the sudden intrusion of a thick finger in his ass. “More,” he moaned into Gilgamesh. Normally one of Gilgamesh’s fingers was enough to satisfy Ardyn for at least a few minutes, but with Gilgamesh’s painfully hard cock in hand, it wasn’t enough. “More,” Ardyn urged again, panting as he pulled back from the kiss.

“Beg,” Gilgamesh ground out, that intensity of his searing into Ardyn’s eyes.

By now, Ardyn didn’t care. His own cock was aching, standing up straight against his stomach, tangled in his robes. Ardyn relinquished Gilgamesh’s cock briefly to lift the obtrusive silk out of the way and then took his cock and Gilgamesh’s back into hand, rubbing them together. “Please, my bull. More.” He had never felt so wanton, mouth hanging open as he stroked their cocks, hand shaking from the pleasure.

Gilgamesh claimed his mouth, all powerful and domineering tongue slipping between Ardyn’s lips and claiming the hot wetness as his own. Pleased with Ardyn’s desperation, he began to fuck Ardyn’s ass with his finger, a second joining it before long. Ardyn could feel the beads of sweat begin to trickle between his shoulder blades and down to his buttocks, everything about Gilgamesh was too big, too hot, but he swallowed the heat from Gilgamesh’s mouth, leaned into the heat radiating off his chest and cock. Ardyn would have been happy to have been burnt away then and there, completely consumed by Gilgamesh.

Though thick and coarse looking from a lifetime of handling all manner of weapon, Gilgamesh’s fingers were adroit at finding the places inside of Ardyn that made him gasp and go boneless. When their mouths separated, Ardyn rattled off a series of jumbled and breathy _please, please, please_. Gilgamesh continued to fuck his ass with his two fingers and was actively canting his hips up into Ardyn’s hand, the friction of his length on Ardyn’s divine. Ardyn swallowed, feeling himself coming to pieces all too soon and moved his hand just around the tip of Gilgamesh’s cock. “Please. I don’t want to come again without you inside me. _Please_.”

“Ardyn,” Gilgamesh moaned. Gilgamesh almost always referred to Ardyn by title—my lord, consul—but now he said his name like it was a prayer, spoken with that same sense of awe and adulation. He pulled his fingers out and pushed Ardyn up slightly, his hands on his ass. Breath ragged, Ardyn rose on his knees to help position himself, angling Gilgamesh’s cock back a hair to better align with his entrance. “What I wouldn’t give to toss you over my shoulder and cart you somewhere where I could really fuck you.” Ardyn felt his chest rumble, the words deep and rough, but could only yelp at the contact of Gilgamesh’s cock with his asshole.

Gilgamesh pressed down gently but steadily on Ardyn, now urging him to go faster, but Ardyn ground his hips against the tip of Gilgamesh’s cock. Both gasped when the tip caught here and there on the ring of muscle, as if an electric current ran between them. After a few more teasing pricks of connection, Gilgamesh firmed his grip on Ardyn’s hips and brought him squarely down on his cock.

Ardyn braced himself on Gilgamesh’s shoulders and winced at intrusion, but he stretched around Gilgamesh to accommodate him easily enough. The heat between them was now inside of him, and Ardyn worried his lower lip at the sensation. He burned as Gilgamesh pressed him down, speared him, feeling almost as if he were being burnt at the stake like some heretic. Yes—the thought drifted through his addled mind—that would be a fitting end, should they be caught like this but—

The burning dissipated as the bottom of Ardyn’s thighs made contact with the top of Gilgamesh’s. Gilgamesh was looking at him so tenderly and so lovingly in that moment that Ardyn swore he felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces. “Ardyn,” Gilgamesh sighed, his thumbs rubbing slow circles on Ardyn’s milky thighs.

Ardyn knew his hair was wild, his chest was heaving with each breath. His expression was a mix of blissed out and conflicted—everything about bedding Gilgamesh was sensory overload and time and time again Gilgamesh stripped away every shred of propriety Ardyn had to his name. But it was worth it, if only for the way Gilgamesh looked at him when they were joined. Again, the knowledge that Gilgamesh was longing for him, that he wanted him so badly to the point of pain, sent a thrill through Ardyn.

Gilgamesh leaned forward, his chest pressing against Ardyn’s and his lips finding the shell of Ardyn’s ear. “You are the holiest thing in this world to me,” he breathed.

Ardyn straightened his spine so he could look downward slightly at Gilgamesh as he drew back. He felt perfectly divine, his lover desperate to worship at his altar. Through half-lidded eyes Ardyn smiled benevolently and dipped in, planting a soft kiss on each of Gilgamesh’s eyelids. If this is what it felt like to be one of the Astrals, Ardyn couldn’t understand why they weren’t so compassionate. Filled with mercy, Ardyn planted a third kiss on Gilgamesh’s forehead then drew back. “Fuck me. Please.”

Gilgamesh began to cant his hips up into Ardyn. Though everything prevented him from quickly working up to a full tilt, the occasional bumping and swaying of the litter aided Gilgamesh’s cause. Ardyn hissed each time Gilgamesh reached deep inside, and a hand cupped the back of Gilgamesh’s skull, his fingers gripping the dark strands of hair and tugging at them gently. Ardyn’s cock was feely leaking precome between them, the white beads smearing on his and Gilgamesh’s clothes as it bobbed between them. Ardyn knew if he touched himself that would be the end of it, he was too far strung out to make things last.

Ardyn could feel Gilgamesh’s sweaty palms slipping against his skin, and was sure he was not far behind him. Every jolt from Gilgamesh’s canting and the plodding steps of the servants sent a flash of pleasure through Ardyn until one particular thrust sent him over the edge. He buried his face into Gilgamesh’s neck and shoulder to muffle the moan, his cock weeping between them, pressed between soft silk and coarse, undyed wool.

Gilgamesh continued to work his hips as the orgasm washed through Ardyn’s body. It was lacking the raw power of his first release, but somehow the fact that it was coaxed out of him in this way made it all the more satisfying. One of Gilgamesh’s hands had migrated up to the small of Ardyn’s back and rubbed him there, serving as a tether back to reality.

“Come for me,” Ardyn exhaled. “Erech, please.” He hardly had the presence of mind to dwell on his use of Gilgamesh’s true name—it was funny how it found its way on Ardyn’s lips so easily in these times, despite his complete lack of using it in any other context.

Gilgamesh’s hand on his back moved up to between his shoulder blades and he supported Ardyn’s weight as he gently tipped him back and into the cushions, their legs tangled but their hips still conjoined. Ardyn gasped at the change in position, Gilgamesh settling slightly below him and on his side, Ardyn’s left leg drawn up between them. Ardyn was angled so he had an unobstructed view of their joining, and Gilgamesh wasted little time given his now unfettered access.

Ardyn watched his own softening cock judder and bounce with each thrust, one hand gripping the cushions and the other gripping the front of Gilgamesh’s tunic for purchase. Gilgamesh’s hand on Ardyn’s left thigh was as hot as Ifirit’s fire and his cock was hard as iron.

“Erech—Erech!” Ardyn moaned senselessly, half-lidded eyes glued to the debauchery.

“Ardyn,” Gilgamesh ground out in return as he snapped his hips up forcefully and held them in place, his white hot seed spilling forth and filling Ardyn to the brim.

For a short time they were silent, both their chests rising and falling deeply as their breathing slowed to normal and the orgasmic haze lifted from their minds and bodies. Gently, Gilgamesh pulled his softening cock out from Ardyn, Ardyn grimacing slightly at the sensation. Ardyn felt too empty all of the sudden, cold even. But as Gilgamesh lowered Ardyn’s left leg, then wrapped his over it, he couldn’t help but sigh contentedly. Gilgamesh looked up at Ardyn and pushed away a few strands of red hair from his sweat dotted forehead, his own features the picture of serenity and satisfaction. Ardyn watched Gilgamesh through heavy lidded eyes as he arranged himself by his side, then slotted his head in the crook of his neck, like it belonged there.

Their silence continued, the sounds of the outside world muffled and quieted, the litter rocking gently back and forth as it moved through the space around them. Ardyn closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. Though there was just a curtain separating them from everything—from duty and responsibility and propriety—Ardyn felt as if they were adrift at sea, hundreds of miles away from anyone or anything that could ruin this moment.

Ardyn could feel Gilgamesh idly tracing a finger across his chest and cracked an eye open to look at him. Gilgamesh was looking back up at him, that picturesque blissed out look on his face. Ardyn loved how Gilgamesh looked after he had spent himself, his jaw unclenched and brows slack. Completely unguarded and drowsy, yet just as nubile as he ever was.

“We would have beautiful children,” Gilgamesh said, his voice thick with honeyed exhaustion.

Ardyn hummed in acknowledgement and closed his one eye. Then, all at once, Gilgamesh’s words seemed to register. Ardyn glowered at Gilgamesh and, had he the strength in him to do it, would have given him a swift kick off of the litter. “I beg your pardon?”

“A pity you do not have a sister.” Gilgamesh continued, grinning into Ardyn’s neck before he kissed it.

“A pity, indeed.” Ardyn pulled away from Gilgamesh’s kiss but didn’t get far, partially trapped by his heavy arm and legs.

Gilgamesh pushed himself up so his head was level with Ardyn’s and brought a hand to Ardyn’s cheek, forcing him to look him in the eye. “ _Our_ children would be first to inherit our combined fortunes.” That same grin was still tugging at Gilgamesh’s lips. He seemed quite recovered from their escapade.

“I can’t believe I’m entertaining this sad excuse for pillow talk,” Ardyn mumbled as he rolled his eyes. “A child born out of wedlock is not fit to inherit anything, my dear.”

It was as if Gilgamesh was waiting for those words. He dipped in, his plush lips finding Ardyn’s, and kissed him deeply. And despite everything, Ardyn found himself completely unwilling and unable to fight it. The kiss was vaguely sweet, traces of the plum traded between their tongues as they slid together, and Ardyn moaned softly into Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh’s hand shifted from Ardyn’s cheek to the side of his head and his fingers slipped between the Ardyn’s silken hairs. Ardyn found himself reaching for Gilgamesh and wrapped his arms around his back, determined to hold him close.

The kiss gradually lightened, and Gilgamesh left a few soft pecks before pulling back slightly. “I take it that’s a ‘yes’?”

“Are you asking for my hand?” Ardyn balked.

“I’ve entertained the idea of far less politically beneficial marriages in the past,” Gilgamesh laughed softly.

“What of a marriage for love?” Ardyn couldn’t stop the question from leaving his mouth, sure that Gilgamesh would tease him despite the ridiculous hypothetical being his idea in the first place.

Gilgamesh didn’t skip a beat. “I had never entertained it before, but, ah...” His voice trailed off as he rested his forehead against Ardyn’s. “I’m sure the right suitor could convince me of its benefits.”

“That would be quite the dowry,” Ardyn mused, indulging Gilgamesh.

“I’m sure you can afford it. The plums alone are quite valuable.” Gilgamesh kissed him again softly. Ardyn hummed against Gilgamesh’s lips before acquiescing, his eyes fluttering shut.

It could never be. But in the confines of the gently swaying litter, just their heat, the sweet smell of plums, and the softness of their lips, it could be so. Ardyn was sure that they would be back in the gardens soon, the servants would lower them back down to the earth, and eventually one of them would have to leave. But they hadn’t arrived yet. They were still in their own little world together and Ardyn thanked the Six for every second they had left.  

**Author's Note:**

> For the random bull reference:  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgamesh
> 
> For the name Erech:  
> https://www.behindthename.com/name/gilgamesh


End file.
